South of Market

From baseball games to top-notch art exhibits, find endless entertainment in one of San Francisco’s fastest-growing neighborhoods.

Explore South of Market (SoMa), one of San Francisco’s most up-and-coming neighborhoods. Home to many of the new tech companies and other start-ups flocking to San Francisco, the area is still fairly undeveloped. Many of its attractions center around three points: South Park, Yerba Buena and Folsom Street.

The neighborhood name comes from the area’s old nickname, “South of the Slot,” which referred to its location on the grittier side of the Market Street cable car line during the California Gold Rush. Today, find it a bustling area with a busy downtown vibe, largely following the city’s tech boom.

Enjoy a sunny day or people watch in the elliptical South Park, modeled after London’s Berkeley Square and New York’s Gramercy Park. Walk toward the waterfront promenade. Watch a ballgame at AT&T Park, home to the San Francisco Giants. Whether you’re a diehard fan of the Major League Baseball team or a casual observer, the ballpark is a delight for spectators. Enjoy its classic design and beautiful view across San Francisco Bay.

Investigate the world-class collections in San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, known as SFMOMA. The striking building with 21st-century additions is as interesting as the exhibits inside. See pieces by Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol and Georgia O’Keeffe, among the 30,000 works in the collection.

Cross the street to Yerba Buena Gardens. Stroll through the beautiful gardens or go bowling or ice-skating. See the latest exhibit in the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts or take kids to Children’s Creativity Museum, formerly Zeum, an interactive technology museum.

Discover the exciting cultural scene of unique boutiques and restaurants around Eleventh and Folsom streets. Folsom Street is also home to the famous Folsom Street Fair, an annual celebration of the leather and fetish culture.

Find this sprawling area between Embarcadero and Eleventh Street, bounded between Market and Townsend streets. With its constant evolution, South of Market is always an interesting and entertaining place to visit.